More than one-third of the residents at Pioneer Manor in Greater Sudbury identify as Francophone.
That made the long-term care facility a natural choice to fly the newest Franco-Ontarian flag. A ceremony was held on Friday to raise the flag, as residents and guests gathered to celebrate the occasion.
Joanne Gervais, executive director of the Association canadienne-francaise de l'Ontario (ACFO) of Sudbury, who has family that call Pioneer Manor home, lobbied to have the flag raised at the facility.
She said she thought it was important for her family and the other residents who identify as Francophone to be acknowledged.
ACFO Sudbury has made it its goal to put up one Franco-Ontarian flag permanently in one location each year. To date, there are more than 20 flags flying in different areas of the city as a result of those efforts.
“It's a matter of pride,” Gervais said. “We have a flag for Ontario, and it has a union jack, but that really doesn't represent the Francophone heritage.
“With the Franco-Ontarian flag, we can show we're proud to be Francophone and proud to be from Ontario. It's about recognition of the community and its contribution to Greater Sudbury and the province as a whole.”
The flag-raising ceremony on Friday was the first event leading into a very busy weekend for the Francophone community, Gervais said.
Saint-Jean Baptiste Day is June 24 and honours St. John the Baptiste, the patron saint of the French Canadian
In Quebec, it's a statutory holiday, and in Ontario, while it doesn't mean a day off of work, it's still celebrated in a big way.
About 28 per cent of the population of Greater Sudbury identifies as Francophone, but up to 45 per cent say they can carry on a conversation speaking French, Gervais said.
“I think we've come a long way as a community,” she said. “I don't think it's an us-and-them mentality any more, it's a let's-work-together mentality, because we recognize we're stronger together.
The flag-raising was followed by a luncheon at ACFO Sudbury.
This afternoon, La Slague launches its season for next year with a small show
Saturday night, the association hosts an entertaining evening at College Boréal.
Sunday is the mini-TFO Family Show at College Boréal, however, tickets are sold out.
For more information, visit stjeansudbury.ca.
